Cut Above

A local company makes shaving way more affordable.

Being clean-shaven can be hard work. Not only do you have to get an
employee to unlock a case, but the disposable razors cost nearly $40.
Phil Masiello is changing that.

Last July, he and business partner Steven Krane launched e-commerce company 800Razors.com.

“In
2011, I was on the road in Arkansas, and my luggage got lost,” he says.
“So I stopped into Wal-Mart and I’m looking to replace eight
cartridges. It was $36. I wondered how could this not have been
disrupted by the Internet?”

Masiello, a veteran in the skin-care
business, did his research and found that Gillette and Schick own almost
the entire market. Refusing to use an Asian manufacturer, Masiello
found an American company—which has been making private-label razor
blades since the 1800s—and brought costs down: a handle and four
cartridges is $9.99, eight cartridges are $17.99.

Currently
800Razors.com has 20,000 subscribers and made just under $1 million in
sales at the end of 2013. Masiello says the key is targeting women and
men and keeping it local.

“Our office in Catonsville can ship just about anywhere in the U.S. in 1-2 days,” he says. “I don’t think we’ll ever leave.”